Parliament for first time amends the Kurdistan Region Oil and Gas Law

The Kurdistan Parliament on 29 June 2022 for the first time amended the Oil and Gas Law of the Kurdistan Region - Iraq, with 79 votes. Speaker Dr. Rewaz Faiq announced that the summer legislative recess will begin on 1st July, but committees' daily work and responsibilities will continue as usual. 

Alongside Speaker Faiq were Deputy Speaker Dr. Hemin Hawrami and Secretary Muna Kahveci.

The amendment of the Oil and Gas Law (Law No. 22 of 2007) was to Article 4, regarding the the Kurdistan Region Council on Oil and Gas Affairs. First, a sixth member was added to the Regional Council: the Head of the Diwan of the Kurdistan Region Council of Ministers. Previously there were five members: 

First: The Prime Minister - President;
Second: The Deputy Prime Minister - Deputy President;
Third: The Minister of Natural Resources - Member;
Fourth: The Minister of Finance and Economy - Member;
Fifth: The Planning Minister - Member.

The Head of the Diwan of the Kurdistan Region Council of Ministers has been added as the sixth member.

Second, a new paragraph was added to Article 4, which did not exist previously, regarding the meetings and voting system for the Oil and Gas Council's decisions. The Regional Council will meet with the presence of majority of the members, and its decisions will be made with the vote of the majority of the present members; and when the votes are equal [tied], the President of the Regional Council has the casting vote (i.e. in the case of tied votes, the side with which the President of the Regional Council votes wins the vote).    

Speaker Faiq referred to the killing of two Salahaddin University lecturers by a student the previous day. She said, "Yesterday two lecturers of Salahaddin University were tragically killed. I condemn this horrific crime in the strongest terms, and express my heartfelt condolences to the scholars and teaching staff of the university, and to the relatives and loved ones of the late Dr. Kawan Ismail, Dean of the College of Law of Salahaddin University, and Dr. Idris Hama Khan, lecturer at the College of Engineering."

Speaker Faiq asked MPs to hold a minute’s silence in mourning for the killed teachers.

The Legislative Committee and the relevant standing committees then held the third reading and vote on first amendments to two laws: The Oil and Gas Law of Kurdistan Region – Iraq, Law No. 22 of 2007; and the Law on Environmental Protection and Improvement in Kurdistan Region – Iraq, Law No. 8 of 2008.

The various suggestions for each amendment were each read and put to vote. For both laws, the amendments in their entirety were approved with the votes of 79 MPs.

The first readings of two legislative proposals were also held: The Legislative proposal on the Olympic Committee of the Kurdistan Region; and the Legislative proposal on the Biology Syndicate of the Kurdistan Region.

Speaker Faiq asked the relevant standing committees to work on the bills to prepare them for their second readings at a future sitting.

At the end of the sitting Speaker Faiq announced the end of the spring legislative session and the continuation of other Parliament business during the summer recess.

Speaker Faiq said, “The [spring] legislative session will end from 1st July, but Kurdistan Parliament’s daily work will continue. MPs, including the Presidency, are responsible for continuing our usual work. Parliament’s committees, which have been informed in writing and we will write to you about this once again, your obligations and responsibilities will continue, in coordination with the Presidency [of Parliament] and relevant parties. If there is a report on an important matter relating to the public’s welfare or a law and it is important for it to be heard and discussed, then we will hold extraordinary Parliament sittings in July and August."

She added, “So that everyone is clear on this, I reiterate that there is no break in the Kurdistan Parliament, the normal daytime routine of work will continue and we are all committed to preparing for the next legislative session for which Parliament’s Presidency plans to schedule more than 12 legislative proposals, and we expect the committees to prepare their reports on them.”